Lacing hook or fastener.



J. G. MORRISON. momenoox on FASTENEB. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 10, 1908.

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Patented May 9, 1911.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN C. MORRISON, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

LACING HOOK 0R FASTENER.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN C. MORRISON, a citizen of the United States,residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York,have invented new and useful Improvements in Lacing Hooks or Fasteners,of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates to improvements in shoe lacing hooks orfasteners, and it has for its object primarily to provide an improvedhook or fastener of this character which is so constructed as to avoidthe catching of wearing apparel thereon, thereby obviating anobjectionable feature which has heretofore rendered the use of theordinary lacing hooks by women impracticable, the operations of lacingand unlacing the shoes being facilitated by the improved hooks while thestrength and security thereof is greatly increased, the formation of thehooks being such that their bills are turned downwardly or in adirection toward the leather of the shoe so that they not only retainthe lacing in engagement therewith, but they also prevent the catchingof clothing thereon while the lacing cannot bear upon and chafe theleather adjacent to the hook.

To these and other ends, the invention consists in certain improvements,and combinations and arrangements of parts, all as Will be hereinaftermore fully described, the novel features being pointed out particularlyin the claims at the end of the specification.

In the accompanying drawing: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a lacinghook or fastener constructed in accordance with my present invention;Fig. 2 represents a top plan view of the hook as viewed from the outerside; Fig. 3 is a view of the hook as viewed edgewise; Fig. 4 is anelevation of the hook as viewed from its inner side; Fig. 5 is adiagrammatic view illustrating several hooks applied to a shoe fly, theposition of the lacing relatively to the hooks being indicated by dottedlines; Fig. 6 is a diagranr matic view representing the hook as appliedto the material of the shoe and showing the manner in which the hook isrocked so as to cause its bill to engage the surface of the materialunder the tension of the lacing.

Similar parts are designated by the same reference characters in theseveral views.

Lacing hooks or fasteners constructed in Specification of LettersPatent.

Application filed September 10, 1908.

Patented May 9, 1911. Serial No. 452,387.

accordance with my present invention are capable of use generally uponarticles of wearing apparel of various kinds, and they are especiallyadapted for use upon shoes, for the reason that when applied thereto,there are no exposed projections which might catch upon the clothing,while the formation of the bill of the hook or fastener is such that thelacing may be engaged therewith with facility, and when so engaged, thebill of the hook underlies the lacing so as to prevent the same fromchafing the leather of the shoe, the hook being so constructed that thetension of the lacing will be effectually resisted by the bill of thehook which acts as a support.

In the accompanying drawing, I have illustrated one specific form ofhook in accordance with my present invention, the hook in the form shownbeing composed of a double strand of wire. It will be understood,however, that I have illustrated only one form of the invention, andthat the hook or fastener may be made in various ways and from materialof different shapes, which changes or modifications are included withinthe claims at the end of the specification.

In the present instance, the hook is composed of a length of wire 1which is doubled intermediately, the strands-of the wire lyingpreferably closely one beside the other to form a bill 2. Toward thefree ends of the strands, the same are bent apart in opposite directionsand are finally bent downwardly to form a pair of attaching arms 3 whichare adapted to perforate the leather of the shoe and to be clenchedagainst the under side thereof. In forming the hook, both strands ofwire are extended in a direction from the exposed surface of the shoe,first upwardly, thence curving inwardly and downwardly to form a bight 4within which the lacing is adapted to be engaged. In forming the bill ofthe hook, the doubled'ends of the strands are twisted and also bentlaterally to form a coil having its axis arranged transverse to theplane of the bight 4, the under side of the bill lying in a planeslightly above the base of the hook and being preferably upturnedslightly at its free end so as to facilitate the entrance of the lacingbetween the bill and the material to which the hook is attached. Thisbill is recurved or turned outwardly toward the base of the hook wherebythe lacing is prevented from disengagement.

I11 applying the books or fasteners to shoes or other garments, they arearranged in rows in opposite relation, the bills being arranged at theinner sides of the hooks and directed upwardly or toward the top of theshoe at which point the ends of the lacing are fastened. As the billsare arranged in a plane slightly above the bases of the hooks, they willlie in proximity to the surface of the material to which the hooks areattached, and in lacing up the shoe, the laces are first slipped beneaththe bills of each opposite pair of hooks and, in crossing the laces,preparatory to their engagement with the next pair of hooks, the lacesare so engaged wit-h the hooks as to prevent their accidentaldisengagement, although the laces should become untied. In unlacing, theend of the forefinger may be placed beneath the laces at the point wherethey cross, and by pulling the laces upwardly toward the top of theshoe, the laces will slip out from beneath the bills of the hooks quiteeasily. The hooks will, of course, be made in rights and lefts in orderthat the bills of the hooks in both rows may be directed upwardly.

I claim as my invention:

1. A one-piece lacing hook comprising a base having clenching prongsextending perpendicularly from the under side thereof, a shankproceeding perpendicularly from the top of the base and parallel to theclenching prongs, and a hook formed as a continuation of said shank,said hook embodying a coil having its axis parallel to the length ofsaid base, and the terminal of the coil being upturned, the shank, baseand clenching prongs being in the same perpendicular plane which forms atangent with the coil composing the hook.

2. A one-piece lacing hook composed of a single length of doubled wiringhaving its terminals bent in opposite directions from a common point toform a base portion and then extended parallel to form clenching prongs,the opposite end of the device being coiled flatwise of the doubled wireand about an axis parallel to the base portion, the terminal of the coilbeing bent flatwise of the doubled wire to form a flat upturned bill,the base portion and clenching prongs being arranged in a perpendicularplane tangential to the coiled portion of the hook.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

JOHN C. MORRISON.

Witnesses:

E. T. ANDERSON, A. L. KILMER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

